


It's a Date! (Reader One Shots)

by CelestialKestrel



Series: My Final Fantasy 7 Fics [2]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Crushes, Cussing, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Midgar (Compilation of FFVII), Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Other, Protectiveness, Wall Market (Compilation of FFVII)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24082348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialKestrel/pseuds/CelestialKestrel
Summary: It had been a long and frustrating day for you, much of it spent running around Sector 5 trying to escape criminals that you had unintentionally robbed from. It had taken you hours to disappear in the dark alleys and bolt through the dimly lit neon signs plastered around the cracked concrete. Your feet carried you for miles until you reached the Wall Market; the dodgiest place in this godforsaken city.
Relationships: Barret Wallace/Reader, Reno (Compilation of FFVII)/Reader, Tifa Lockhart/Reader
Series: My Final Fantasy 7 Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1737448
Comments: 3
Kudos: 53





	1. It's a Date! (Tifa/F! Reader)

**Author's Note:**

> This might become a series of one-shots with different stories for readers, but I'm not sure yet! I hope you like it though.

It had been a long and frustrating day for you, much of it spent running around Sector 5 trying to escape criminals that you had unintentionally robbed from. It had taken you hours to disappear in the dark alleys and bolt through the dimly lit neon signs plastered around the cracked concrete.  Your feet carried you for miles until you reached the Wall Market; the  dodgiest  place in this godforsaken  city.

Perverts and creeps littered the place, chatting up hard-working women and spitting on the pavements. You sighed and licked your cracked lips, taking a few nervous steps over to one of the item shops. 

“Hey pretty lady,” one man called towards you. “Wanna have some fun?”   
  
“Piss off,” you hissed, shoving by him. 

Some guy with spiky blond hair stood firmly in front of you, bartering with the salesman as the two women he seemed to be with loitered around, waiting for him. 

Your eyes lingered on one of the women, her long brown hair swaying as she tentatively listened to the other woman, fiddling with her leather-clad fighting gloves - she was drop-dead gorgeous. 

She seemed to feel your stare lingering on her, her almost red eyes flickering over to your direction. Quickly, you broke your gaze away from her, opting to stare down at the floor filled with cigarette ends and litter.

"Hey, Cloud," she said with her quiet yet confident voice. "Don’t stay too long, someone is waiting behind us."   
  
The bright  blue eyes  of ‘ Cloud’  looked  behind his armoured shoulders, you  awkwardly swayed  under his  scrutiny. “Got it, Tifa,” he eventually replied coldly.

After a few heartbeats, you finally made your way up to the front of the queue, buying food, a bottle of soda and some cure materia. If those thugs caught up to you, you'd need it, that’s for sure. 

Tifa’s voice reverberated gleefully around your ears as she spoke with Cloud and her other colleague, distracting you from the hot breath falling on the nape of your neck.

“Thought you’d get away with stealing our materia, huh?” A gruff voice growls.

Like lightning, your body bolted around to face him; his scarred face grizzled and coarse. Before you could make a dash for it, his large hands fell on your shoulders, firming you in place and spinning you chaotically around.

You yelped out embarrassingly, causing the same pretty crimson eyes you saw to fix on your face a few moments earlier, her full lips slightly parted as you struggled against your restraints.

“Hey, jackass!” Tifa yelled. “What do you think you’re doing with her?”   
  
A low grunt huffed out behind you like an angered ox. “Getting back what’s rightfully mine! This bitch stole my materia.” He slammed you roughly into the dirt, causing you to scream out.   
  
“I didn’t mean to!” You yowled back. “I saw it on the floor and picked it up! How was I meant to know you owned it, prick!”

“Let her go,” Tifa ordered, stepping forwards into an offensive position. “Or I’ll make you.”   
  
“Pfft, you? Come on, you’re just a little lady! You can’t fight for-”   
  
His voice was cut off as a loud grunt fell from his agape mouth, a sharp fist plummeting into his face. He fell on to the ground as Tifa sauntered by you, leaning over him threateningly. “I told you to leave her alone!”   
  
He raised his hands defensively in front of his face as he wriggled away from her, struggled to get up and shoved past the  numerous spectators, his feet crashing over the ground as he cowardly fled.

A shadow fell over your face, causing you to instinctively flinch; then a soft hand touched your cheek. “Hey,” Tifa murmured. “You okay?”   
  
You opened your eyes to see her slender face staring back at you. “Uh-” you stammered. “Y-yeah. Thanks.”   
  
“Tifa,” she said, smiling. “My name’s Tifa. What about you?”   
  
You gulped back the lump in your throat as you felt your face heat up. 

_ God - you were being so transparent! _

You mentally scolded yourself, before speaking again. You stated your name shyly as she helped you up from the dusty floor. 

She smirked down at you, her sparkling eyes creasing as her lips formed into a genuine smile. “That’s a pretty name,” she stated. “It suits you.”   
  
You twiddled with your hair, placing it behind your left ear as she watched you. “Thanks, well I think you’re pretty too.”   
  
Tifa giggled slightly, then when she noted you shifting and gazing shyly away, she stopped. “You’re really something, huh? You wanna tag along with us?”   
  
You glanced between Cloud and the other woman she was with, then back at Tifa. “Would that be okay?”   
  
Tifa wrapped her arm around your shoulder. “Of course! Right, Cloud?”   
  
Cloud shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever.”   
  
“I don’t mind at all,” the lady in the pink dress added.

Tifa nodded. “Thanks, Aerith, it’ll stop creeps from getting to you anyway. I can protect you.”   
  
“That’s really kind of you,” you said so quietly, you weren’t sure if she heard your shaking voice.

“It’s alright,” Tifa replied.    
  
“I’m sorry if this comes across as imposing, but are you and Cloud….?”   
  
“No,” Tifa laughed. “No, I’m single at the moment.”   
  
“Oh,” you replied as you walked alongside her. “Um, do you want to go out with me sometime? You know, so I can thank you properly for saving my life?”   
  
Tifa placed an index finger over her lips as she considered it, then her eyes met yours. “Of course, I’d like that!” She smiled. “It’s a date then!”


	2. I Had A Bet (Reno/M! Reader)

City lights thrashed by your vision as you stumbled down the empty streets of Sector 7, it had been another long day of living a double-sided life; cleaning and waiting tables in a run-down restaurant and turning into a super spy at night - well, at least it felt like that sometimes. 

Spending time at President Shinra’s side as a stand-in bodyguard was tough, if you had 100 gil for every person that tried to assassinate him, you could afford to move to a Sector where the plate wasn’t blocking out the sun and the smog didn’t whisper around like ghosts. The flick of your cigarette brought you instant relief, billowing out smoke into the distorted air, sinking back against the bustle of noise.

Women cooed at you, trying to tempt you into spending a night with them in the love hotels. Hell, you probably would usually, but you were exhausted… Plus someone has been playing on your mind recently. 

Upturned coy lips and amused turquoise eyes.

“Over here, sweetheart! Come on,” one woman calls to you. “We can show a guy like you a good time.” 

You politely smiled, waving her off. “No thanks, I wouldn’t have enough time, I’m on a break.”  
  
“Alright, maybe next time then!” She called back, searching for other people who might be interested in her business.

The click of heels on the cobbled floor alerted that you were no longer alone with your overcast shadow. Three of your colleagues were approaching you, a swag in their step as drunkards cowered; swiftly moving away from their line of sight. 

“Yo,” a smug voice bellowed. “Didn’t think I’d see you around here, ‘you on a break?”  
  
“Yeah,” you managed to growl out, your throat as coarse as gravel. “You?”  
  
Your hazy vision led over to Reno as he rested his Electro Mag Rod on one of his shoulders, his eyes flickering briefly behind him at the women who called to you earlier. He shrugged lazily, his gaze falling back on to you, as his accompaniment stood silently by. “I’m just patrolling around, Tseng’s orders. Had to beat up a few guys who tried to infiltrate Shinra.”

“Oh, yeah?” You were trying to trick your brain into being interested in his antics, but the mind clogs didn't click into place.

Reno huffed the unruly red strands of hair falling over his goggles, gesturing to the security guards next to him to let him be. Your eyes immediately flickered on to the lights reflecting on his accessory; sometimes you bet he wore those goggles just to render himself cooler. He swung over to your side, grasping the lighter between your fingers and led it towards his lips as he held a cigarette of his own in between them.

Swiftly, you took your lighter back as smoke swirled chaotically around you. “Pch,” Reno huffed. “Why so tense?”  
  
“Just tired,” you sighed out, adjusting your coat against the light breeze. 

“Pissed off?” Reno cooed, seeing straight through your lie, moving closer towards you.  
  
“Well, yeah, sort of,” you gruffly admitted. “You’re always messing around with women and then complaining when you get your comeuppance.”

“You heard about last night, huh?” Reno quipped. “...and Elena told you about the rest, judging from your foul expression.” 

You tried to adjust your position to lean slightly away from him, trying to suppress the familiar tidal wave of jealousy as Reno laughed at your bitter mood.

“Come on, man!” Reno chuckled. “You are so transparent!”  
  
“You what?” you squawked, twisting your body like a slinky, dropping your half-finished cigarette onto the dirty ground. “Aw, shit,” you grumbled, sadly staring down at your loss. 

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you gawking at me and bumping into things,” Reno said with a smirk.  
  
"Must just imagine things," you muttered, stamping out the cigarette you were mourning. 

“Nah, I’ve got sharp eyes,” Reno replied, moving some of the hair out of the way of his tattooed face. “I’ve noticed you’ve not been paying attention during routine speeches too.”  
  
“I said I’m tired,” you snapped defensively.

Reno sighed dramatically. “When are you going to come out with it?”  
  
“With what?”  
  
“You know what,” Reno huffed. “You have a crush on me.”  
  
“Pfft,” you spluttered, trying to conceal your reddening face. “No, I don’t.”  
  
In other circumstances, you’d just tell him the truth, but this is Reno you’re talking about - a serial womanizer and an infamous flirt. He’d butter-up anyone he deems attractive when he’s drunk, it’s even worse! Sometimes, you’d have to drag him away from bars after he attempted to hit on people that were already in relationships, you weren’t even being paid to be his bodyguard.

Your breath hitched in your throat as his lithe fingers gripped at your shoulders and spun you around to face him. “Tell me the truth.”  
  
His face was uncharacteristically serious, his brow furrowed and his famed sarcastic smirk dissipated. 

Words couldn’t leave your lips as you gazed at him, expecting some kind of punchline or a simple. “Just kidding, yo!” But nothing like that came, instead, you were locking eyes with him in the middle of a small town as people stumbled by.

“Uh,” was all you managed at first, then a sudden storm of confidence took you by surprise. “Yeah, fine. I give in, I have a thing for you.”

Reno narrowed his eyes. Almost as if he was waiting for something, then he sighed out seemingly in relief. “Finally! I was starting to think I was going crazy, yo!” he laughed.  
  
“What do you mean?” you mumbled in uncertainty.

“Rude and Elena had a bet to see how long it’d take you to confess, or if it would be me,” Reno chuckled, gripping his stomach. “But you like me too, right?”  
  
“Too....?” Oh, OH! You like me as well,” you spluttered. “Why didn’t you say? You shouldn’t have left me guessing, you smug prick!”  
  
“Well, it’s more fun to see the surprise on your face this way,” Reno stated, stepping into your personal space.

It was like the smog around you had lifted as his lips crashed into yours, something you’d been wishing for since you had to work with him and put up with his seemingly joking flirtatious quips. His hands wrapped around your waist as the voices around you both became nothing more than mere whispers.


	3. It's a Deal (Barret/Gender Neutral! Reader)

It was December the 9th and cold air nipped at you like mosquitoes as you waited against one of the moody walls near the train station. It had happened once again, someone you loved deeply had passed away; sometimes you wondered what the point of even caring about people was, most of them disappeared anyway.

The news had been broadcasting stories about the group AVALANCHE, stating how they attacked Shinra, the damage leaking into your home in Sector 1 as plates had cracked and fallen on nearby towns. You were exhausted and had to force yourself to move back to your parent's house in Sector 7.

Protecting yourself from the bitter weather, you began curling your shivering hands around your chest, an unavoidable puff of air leaving your dry lips as the train skidded to a halt. Shakily, you board on to it, finding one of the most empty carriages and taking a seat. 

Everyone was talking about the news, but you honestly just wanted to block it out and go home, the noise blurred around your ears as the sounds of their muffled voices vibrated around the train - your parents were probably worried sick about you.

Sliding doors echoed, the voices becoming louder again, then dying out as the door closed. Out of the corner of your eyes, a glint of light caught your attention - four people walking through the carriage murmuring to one another as if they were fugitives; something about them sparked adventure and interest, you had yearned for the feeling of intrigue to fill your lungs for a long time, instead of the gritty sand in your throat. 

Forgetting you were gawking at them, one of the taller men glanced back, his black hair and muscular body turning to face your direction, your focus drifted down his arms, landing on a machine gun replacing one of his hands. He looked tired, although he was trying to mask it with his sunglasses - so late at night.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded toward you and some of the other pedestrians trying to squeeze by to the other carriages parted murmuring amongst one another, but you sat there, watching as he approached you with another person; an obnoxious sized sword on his back at his side. 

“You lost or somethin’?” His gruff voice asked.

You blinked once, then stared upwards at the man who asked the question. “No,” you answered quietly, trying to stifle your sore throat. “Just never seen you and your group around here before. Are you all catching the train to Sector 7?”   
  
“Yeah,” he eventually answered, adjusting his sunglasses. “Never seen you around here either, what’s your name?”   
  
You felt taken aback by his question, usually, people travelling from Sector 1 just ignore your existence. Carefully, you answered his question, staring at him expectantly for his reply.

“Barret,” he grunted. “You look pretty rough. Were you caught in the blast?”   
  
“Yeah, some of it,” you replied, shifting slightly. “Lost my home, but I’m pretty sure a lot of people had the same happen to them.”

One of the women fidgeted with her gloves, her red headband creasing as she glanced away from you, the look of regret plaguing her face. The seat creased next to you as Barret launched himself confidently down next to you, groaning out in relief as he stretched. He removed his sunglasses, placing them in his pocket - his attention diverting back to you. 

“You look pretty cold,” Barret noted. 

You remained silent as you watched him gesture towards one of the men behind him. The leaner one shrugged off his jacket, and Barret roughly took it, dumping it over your shoulders and patting you. “You live in the slums then?”   
  
“Yeah,” you stated, staring back at him as you gripped the jacket. “Thanks.”   
  
Barret shrugged as his colleague sighed and sat down. “Yeah, sure. Did you work for Shinra?”   
  
He asked the next question as if he was a detective trying to figure out if you were a criminal or not, you couldn’t blame him. Shinra was full of greed and disregarded people who were falling on hard times. “No, I worked as a security guard for one of the gift shops. But it was destroyed too, so I don’t exactly have a job now.”

“Sorry,” Barret stated, “About your job.”   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
The conversations eventually petered out, silence filling the surroundings for a while as the train rocked like a cradle, drifting you to sleep, murmuring seeped into your fever dreams of fire and snow and Barret’s voice snapped you out of your break from reality as red colours glazed over your vision, scanning everyone’s ID cards. 

“You said you’re out of a job right?” Barret said slowly. 

“Yeah,” your bleary voice answered, rubbing your eyes. “Why?”   
  
“Well, I know a place in the slums, Seventh Heaven, one of my friends owns the place and she’s low on staff at the moment,” Barret suggested. “Maybe you could come with us, get you back on your feet or something.”   
  
The red scanners finally ceased, and you blinked, narrowing your eyes distrustfully at him. “You barely know me, why are you trying to help me?”   
  
Barret huffed in amusement. “Why not? People from Sector 7 stick together, right?”   
  
You considered it, your brain creating future pathways to the many different routes you could take. It would be better than ending up homeless, or struggling to keep your parents happy. “Okay,” you eventually replied. “You’ll have to show me where it is though, I’ve not been to Sector 7 for a few years so I’m not great with directions.”

A few days passed by, Tifa had accepted your help to wait on some of the tables and do various chores for people around the slums, the pay wasn’t amazing, but you weren’t complaining, you could afford to buy food for your parents and help them to pay for the bills. Sometimes though, Tifa would usher you outside and close the doors on ‘private business’, they would constantly talk about Shinra while you were working there, and the stony faced blond would gulp back alcohol like water while listening in, but not adding anything to the conversation - except maybe a sassy remark or two.

You’d grown fond of Barret and his daughter Marlene, he doted on her but seemed to be extremely defensive when it came to anyone getting too close to her; except for you. He’d constantly have a dopey smile on his face whenever Marlene showed you pictures she’d drawn or asked you about your day, although he’d try to hide his expression every time you looked over at him.

After spending time doing double hours and staying in later, you’d see a lot of Barret and Marlene, and got to see a different side to him - rather than the gruff exterior he wanted his friends to see. He was kind and gentle, thoughtful and most of all a great leader. Although he seemed to doubt himself when he thought no one was looking.

Night had overtaken the sky as you scrubbed down the beer-stained tables, ignoring the loud drunken blabber around you. Eventually it died down and something tugged on the back of your shirt, believing it to be another drunken person trying it on, you spun around; prepared to attack. Your eyes met with large brown ones and a small shy smile. 

“Marlene,” you breathed in relief. “It’s just you.”   
  
“Yeah,” she said quietly, staring down at the floor, her hands behind her back. “Daddy said he won’t be back till tomorrow, so I’m helping to tend the bar in the morning.”   
  
“Oh, okay.” You nodded. “Do you know where he goes? It’s a little worrying.”   
  
“Daddy said I can’t tell you that,” Marlene mumbled. “But one thing he did ask is if you could read me a bedtime story tonight?”   
  
A smile creased your lips as she stared up at you expectantly. “Sure, Marlene. I’ll read you your favourite book. Come on, I’ll shut up shop and I can take you to your room.”

After you read her the story, you left downstairs, sleeping on Barret’s couch in his stead. Flickers of the fire crept into your dreams, swallowing homes whole as people screamed out, your friend collapsed on the floor. 

Something soft brushed your hair away from your face, then warmth fell over your shoulders as footsteps echoed away from your hearing. 

When you awoke, it was early morning, and the smell of coffee instantly alerted you that Barret was home. Blinking, your gaze fell on to your torso, a blanket shrouded your figure. As quietly as you could muster, you left the couch and peeped through the kitchen doorway, to see Barret struggling to brew two cups of coffee. The sunlight shimmered on his dark skin as he poured the hot liquid, then the clink of metal knocked something off of the worktop. He cussed under his breath at one of the small plates shattering on the floor.

You entered into his proximity, staring down at the shards of glass on the floor. “You okay, Barret?”   
  
“Jesus!” Barret yowled, turning to face you. “You scared the shit out of me.”   
  
“Sorry.” You shrugged. “Do you need some help?”   
  
“No, it’s fine,” Barret mumbled. “I’ll clean it up.”   
  
“Nope, we’re a team, remember?” you stated, smiling.

Barret blinked, then he looked away. “Fine, whatever.”   
  
“You’re starting to sound like Cloud,” you jested as you knelt down, picking up the broken shards. “Is that coffee for me?”   
  
“Yeah,” Barret grunted. “I was gonna bring it in for you, but you were already awake.”   
  
“Thanks,” you replied smiling. You picked up the hazardous material and dumped it into the bin, dusting your hands as you stood up. When your gaze fully adjusted onto him, you noticed he had scrapes and cuts all over his chest and arms. “What were you doing last night?” you interrogated, your tone heated.

“Stuff,” Barret unhelpfully added. “Stuff I don’t want you involving yourself with, let’s leave it at that okay?”   
  
“If you’re putting yourself in danger, I’m not going to be letting you hurt yourself,” you exclaimed.    
  
“Drink your damn coffee, and sit down,” Barret replied coolly, placing the cup in between your hands. “I don’t need your lectures.”

You trailed with him to the small living room, sitting beside him in comfortable silence as you sip your coffee. Your uncontrollable eyes flickering over Barret’s chest as he sternly gripped at the television remote and flicked on the news.

AVALANCHE was all the talk of it once again, then something clicked into place. Barret seemed to hate Shinra just as much as you did, could he be the one running the group? All the talk of plans when he thought you were out of hearing range and the way the Cloud’s cold expression flickered into interest when he mentioned being paid for ‘missions’.

You placed the cup down on the side table, clearing your throat and gaining Barret’s attention. “What?” Barret gruffly grunted. “You’re looking at me funny.”   
  
“Barret, I know what you and your group do is best for the planet, but what about for you?”   
  
Barret snorted his drink, spluttering for a few seconds. Then he turned to face you. “What’re you-”   
  
“I’m not naive, I know you are a part of these ‘missions’. I don’t want you hurting yourself.”   
  
“I’m a grown-ass man,” Barret snapped. “I can do what I want.”   
  
“I know that!” you snapped back, Barret’s jaw tensed closed at your sudden raised voice. “If you believe fighting for the planet is the most important thing to you, I get it, I understand. But at least consider that if something happened to you, I couldn’t take it.”

Barret remained quiet as you stared down at your lap.

“I love you,” you murmured. 

Barret blinked, then after a few heartbeats, he spoke. “I know you do,” he replied quietly. “I love you as well and that’s why I have to keep fighting.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“If I don’t fight for the planet, I’ll lose you as well,” Barret eventually stated. “Listen, I want to ask you something,” Barret huffed. “Marlene needs someone to look after her, I want you to make sure she is okay if I leave for a long while.”   
  
“I will,” you stated. “I’ll look after her. But promise me that you’ll be more careful from now on! You may as well yell your group’s identity in the streets with the way you’re all handling things. Please tread carefully, Shinra aren’t stupid.”   
  
“Fine, it’s a deal,” Barret replied, wrapping his tattooed arm around you, you leant against him as he spoke once again. “You look after Marlene, I’ll tread more carefully, okay?”   
  
You smiled widely up at him. “Alright. It’s a deal.”

He planted a chaste kiss on your forehead, a rare smile forming on his face, then Marlene’s voice reverberated from upstairs. Barret reluctantly removed himself from your side, leaning down so Marlene could give him a hug.


End file.
